One Heartbeat
by Chros
Summary: Modern AU. Lily Evans finds herself enrolled in Hogwarts University, looking for a place in this world. On the other hand, James Potter searches for love in the same place.
1. Hogwarts Express

The Evans household was abuzz with excitement, Lily was off to university, not just any university. The University. Hogwarts University, perhaps the most prestigious university in Europe. Of course, the Evans were a tad overwhelmed and nervous.

"Mum, where is my pink cardigan?"

"It should be in one of your suitcases."

"I can't find it!" Lily shouted in exasperation.

Violet Evans shook her head at the display her daughter was making, she had been like this all day. Lily always did lack the patience so Violet started rummaging through Lily's suitcase for her cardigan. She caught sight of pink wool and pulled it out from under the rest of the clothes.

"What's this then?" Violet asked her daughter who was fretting over appearance before a mirror. Lily glanced at her mother through the mirror and let out a sigh in relief. She grabbed the clothing from her mother's hand and placed back in the case.

"Only one more to pack." Lily said as she continued to stare at herself. Violet stepped towards her and made Lily face her.

"You look beautiful, sweetie. Now calm down." Violet said. Lily smiled sheepishly.

"I'm calm."

Violet raised an eyebrow, Lily let out a laugh in response and went back to packing. Violet heard footsteps pass the room and peeked out the door just in time to see Petunia, having just returned from a date with Vernon, slamming her bedroom door. Violet sighed and made her way to her eldest daughter's room. Petunia's room was extremely clean, not a hairpin out of place, a stark contrast to Lily's at the moment. Petunia was sitting on her bed scrolling through her phone.

"Tuney, Lily's leaving today. Help us pack and spend some time with her."

Petunia rolled her eyes, not even sparing Violet a glance. "I didn't think perfect little Lily wanted me around."

Violet narrowed her eyes at Petunia, "You know that isn't true." She snatched Petunia's phone and forced her up,"Now come on."

Petunia protested but Violet was having none of it. She pulled Petunia to Lily's room, "Now help me and Lily."

Petunia obeyed begrudgingly, occasionally shooting a poorly veiled barb at Lily. Violet glanced at Lily who seemed to be controlling her temper for once. Violet had always tried to mend Lily's and Petunia's relation but it was near impossible. Violet silently knew the core of their relationship problems was Petunia's jealousy and she had always tried to equally divide her attention between her girls but Petunia isn't Petunia if she isn't stubborn, or maybe an Evans isn't an Evans if they aren't stubburn. Violet shook her head slightly and heard a car pull over on the driveway.

"That must be your father. I'll be right back."

Lily glanced at her mother as she exited the room and turned to her older sister.

"Seriously, Tuney. Did I do something to offend you? I'm heading off to Hogwarts today, can't you at least be nice for once." Lily was genuinely curious.

Petunia scoffed, "Did _I_ do something? Oh please, Lily. You've been showing off your admission to Hogwarts for the whole neighborhood to see. All I hear is, Lily this, Lily that."

Lily starred at her sister in shock, was Petunia jealous? "You're jealous."

Petunia's eyes flashed, "Jealous? Of What? Of being a _freak? '_Cause that's what you and that Snape boy are. You two are a bunch of freaks and are off to a university for freaks."

Lily's eyes widened in hurt and made her way out the room, "At least I won't have to see you everyday."

*Linebreak*

James stepped out of his car and went to retrieve his luggage. He grabbed his along with Sirius'. Sirius popped out the car behind him,

"Well, we're finally here."

Sirius clutched the handle of his suitcase and walked into the train station, James followed close behind. He noticed people starring at him, but he was used to it and smiled at people once in a while through his sunglasses. Sirius looked around, never having really travelled by train was let curiosity get the better of him. He was more accustomed to traveling by plane or jet, James wasn't that different in that respect. Due to certain circumstances James' family jet was currently unavailable and the were left with no other option. Sirius looked up the train schedule and turned to James,

"Our train is already here, leaves in 30 minutes."

James nodded and followed Sirius to where he said the train was stationed.

"Right there." Sirius pointed. James caught sight of it too, Hogwarts Express was one big train that commuted from London to Hogsmeade and back. James and Sirius starred at in interest and then loaded their luggage into it. Once inside the train, James and Sirius found it a bit difficult to find their seats, trains were different from their usual mode of transport.

James peered into the compartments as they walked by, he noticed that most of their occupants were students. One compartment was filled with a bunch of guys, another with a group of cute girls. When they passed it, Sirius wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

James laughed and patted his best friend on the back, "It's filled, mate."

Sirius pouted but continued down the corridor, the next compartment was occupied by a girl with fiery red hair. James starred at her for longer then would seem appropriate, for she was beautiful. Her red hair fell over her shoulders as she was curled up near the window reading a magazine. James spared her one last glance before continuing his way. Not long after James and Sirius got to the end of the carriage and still were unsuccessful in finding their compartment. They went back the path they came and looked for an empty compartment they could occupy, the first one they came by was the one with the red haired girl. Sirius grinned when he caught sight of her. He ran his hand in his hair and with his customary smirk entered it. James rolled his eyes and followed.

The red hair looked up, startled by their intrusion. She watched as he and Sirius pulled in their luggage, and searched where to place them. She assumed that they must not be used to traveling by train and after a few moments of just watching got up.

"I'll help you with that."

James and Sirius whipped around and Sirius grinned, "I'd love that. You see we're not used to trains."

Lily smiled politely and picked up their luggage to place it on top their seats. She struggled a bit considering their suitcases were pretty heavy. James was quick to her aid, Lily smiled in thanks and with James' help was able to put the luggage away. She sat back in her seat and was about to go back reading when she was interrupted, "So you going to Hogwarts as well?"

Lily looked up to see the boy with long hair grinning at her. "Yeah." She answered.

The guy nodded, "Well I'm Sirius Black by the way." He flipped his hair dramatically, "And this guy beside me is my best mate, James Potter."

James nodded his head at Lily, for some reason he felt slightly uncomfortable around the red head.She smiled at him politely in response. James saw Sirius give him a weird look but ignored it all together.

"I'm Lily." She introduced.

Sirius leaned over, took her hand and pressed a kiss to her knuckles, "A lovely name for a lovely girl." Lily starred at Sirius in shock and could feel herself blushing. She quickly took back her hand and noticed Sirius' friend roll his eyes at his antics.

The train started with a jolt and Sirius sat back, startled. Lily looked at him strangely. Sirius explained, "As I mentioned before, we're not used to trains. I prefer air travel, you know. But my man, James' jet got all wet."

Lily raised her eyebrow at that and was about ask how a jet got wet when Sirius cut her off with a wink, "Don't ask."

"So we decided to take the train, see how normal people commute."

Lily's eyes narrowed slightly, she was able to soundly conclude that the boys in front her were clearly rich snobs. James even seemed to refuse to acknowledge her presence in the compartment. Sirius started going on about something but was interrupted by James.

"Give her a break, Sirius. She's not falling for you."

Sirius faced James and his face was a picture a mock hurt but James did notice the concern at James behavior in his eyes, honestly when did James Potter pass up an opportunity to flirt with a cute girl, "You don't know that, Jamsey."

James was about reply when the compartment door was slid open by two guys. They glanced at the seat numbers written above the seats James and Sirius were on.

"Excuse me, but those are our seats."

James got up and apologized, "Sorry, we'll be on our way then. Come on, Sirius." He was already feeling uncomfortable.

Sirius pulled James back down onto his seat and with pleaded with him with his rather expressive eyebrows. Sirius unlike James was not going to pass up this opportunity with Lily. James in the end relented for his friend's sake.

"Or on the other hand, you guys can go find another seat." James retracted as he turned to the guys. He recognized them from most probably one of the balls he's been to. Avery and Mulciber were their names he believed.

It seemed that Avery recognized him in turn, "You're James Potter."

A mischievous smile appeared on James lips, "Am I?"

Mulciber joined Avery, "You are. I saw you on a magazine."

Sirius snickered at the mention of the magazine and was about to explain to Lily but was elbowed in the stomach by James before he got the chance. Lily starred at James,this guy was on a magazine. She had to admit that he was good looking and was obviously magazine material but she couldn't recall if she'd ever seen him on one.

"Sexiest Teen Alive." Sirius mouthed at Lily. Lily's eyes widen and she checked James out. Well they weren't wrong.

"Maybe." James replied to Mulciber.

"Doesn't really matter who you guys are." Mulciber said, "Those are our seats." He pointed to where James and Sirius were sitting.

Sirius put out his hand in his pocket and pulled out a bunch of bills, "How much for the seats boys?"

Avery looked disgusted at Sirius as he eyed the money, "We've got plenty of that, Black." Lily pursed her lips as she watched Sirius handle money so carelessly.

"Fine, fine. Let's compromise then. You guys can take our seats then." Sirius handed them his and James' ticket and Avery and Mulciber agreed. They left without further notice. Sirius plopped himself back on his seat and turned to Lily, "So where were we, Lily? What's your family name?"

Lily hesitated, "Evans." She could feel the heat rising in her cheeks.

Sirius looked confused, "Never heard of that name."

"You wouldn't. I'm at Hogwarts with a scholarship." Lily said softly. Sirius nodded his head in understanding and James looked at her interest. He was impressed it was no easy feat to get into Hogwarts especially on scholarship.

Sirius changed the subject, "What dorm building are you in?"

"Slytherin from what I heard. What about you two?"

"Gryffindor." Sirius declared proudly, "Had to pull a few strings for that."

Lily nodded, "You ever been to Hogwarts?"

Sirius nodded, "My parents studied there, so did James'. We've visited for the alumni functions. It's beautiful, you know..."

James watched as Lily hung on to every word that came out of Sirius' mouth that was about Hogwarts. She was clearly excited and frankly even James was. It was where his parents had fallen in love and James had his fingers crossed.

It was always said Hogwarts was a magical place particularly for love.

**A/N: So the first chapter! Hope you guys like it. Don't forget to subscribe and of course review! We'd love your feedback. So until we see again!!**


	2. Welcome

**A/N: It's been forever since this has been updated, but we've decided to give this story another go. So enjoy this chapter and tell us what you think. **

The rest of the ride went by like a breeze. Lily alternated between striking conversation with Sirius, staring out the window and subtlety studying the pair of boys before her, particularly James. He was yet to utter a word to Lily directly, and she felt offended by the fact. She assumed he simply believed her to beneath him. Normally, she might have made a snarky comment about it, though she though better of it. James Potter was clearly an influential student at the institution Lily was set to attend, and she did not want to start a feud over some assumed slight.

Once they reached the station, Lily and the boys went their separate ways, but not before Sirius promised to meet up later. The sun had begun to set and Lily hurried to the Slytherin building. Lily, frankly had only got admitted into building because Severus pulled some strings. From what she had read, the Slytherin was for the snobbiest of the snobs- which obviously wasn't exactly the best news for Lily. Severus had assured her that Lily had nothing to worry about and none would dare to cross her with him at her side. It wasn't what Lily wanted to hear, but she preferred to have a familiar face in the strange new world she found herself in.

At the reception desk, a haughty looking dark haired woman sat, scrolling lazily through her phone. Lily hauled her luggage to the counter and cleared her throat loudly. The woman, Samantha (according to her name tag), looked up and gave Lily a once over and regarded her questioningly with a slightly raised eyebrow.

Lily self consciously straightened her top and handed the woman her student ID card.

"Lily Evans."

Samantha studied the card before turning her head to the computer before her, and typed rapidly. She glanced back at Lily, "I'm afraid I can't find your name, Miss. Evans."

Fear seized Lily's heart and she had to fight to keep the panic off her face. Her name wasn't registered? Did that mean she actually didn't get into Hogwarts University? She hands began to feel clammy and was likely to have had a panic attack if it weren't the voice that interrupted her train of thought, "Lily!"

Lily whipped her head around to find Snape making his way towards her from the elevator. He grinned at her and offered her a one handed hug.

"Find your room yet?"

Lily shook her head, "I haven't been registered here." She tried to stamp down the irrationality fear that was taking control of her body. Severus glanced questioningly at the receptionist, who shrugged apologetically.

"It's not here, Mr. Snape." She pointed to the computer system.

"Check again."

Samantha did as she was told, but wielded the same results once more. "Give me a moment. Let me check if she's in any of the other buildings." She continued to type furiously until she clicked her tongue in triumph. She looked up at Lily.

"Miss. Evans, you happen to have been placed in Gryffindor."

The fear washed away quickly after Samantha uttered those words, to be replaced with relief and disappointment for the fact that Severus and she would not be in the same residence hall. Lily felt Severus stiffen beside her.

"I was assured Lily would be placed in Slytherin." He said in low voice. Lily attempted to calm Severus down, but he ignored her.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Snape. If you have any complaints you'll have to take it up with your House Head."

Snape glared furiously at Samantha, "Oh, I will." He stalked angrily out of the building and Lily scrambled to follow him. She grabbed his arm,

"It's fine, Sev. I'll be fine. We can still meet up during classes and after."

The rage colouring Snape's features receded as he studied Lily. "Don't worry, Lily. I'll get you back with Slytherin. Just bear with those pretentious buffoons in Gryffindor till then."

Lily smiled uncertainly at Snape and then he accompanied her to Gryffindor hall. Snape refused to enter with her and saw her off from the outside. The inside of the Gryffindor building seemed much cozier to Lily than the Slytherin hall did. She was privately relieved a bit to have been placed in the building, because she had read that it was usually the safe haven for scholarship students.

The receptionist was the most helpful in finding her room for her, and the next thing Lily knew she was hauling her bags down the hall to her new living quarters. She was about to enter them when Sirius and James came her way.

"Lily. Darling." Sirius greeted cheerfully, "I thought you said you were in Slytherin." James sighed in exasperation at his companion's antics, but also glanced at Lily curiously.

Lily smiled shyly at the pair and shrugged, "Must have been a mistake." She gestured around the hall, "Here I am. In Gryffindor."

Sirius grinned in delight, "That's incredible news." He eyed James in glee, who seemed to look anywhere but Sirius' face. "Well, I believed, dear Evans, we are going to have much together in these halls." Lily had no idea if Sirius meant that innocently or not, but she found herself blushing furiously nonetheless.

"Well, don't let us keep you waiting." Sirius pointed to her dorm door, "I'm sure we'll be seeing plenty of each other." He grinned at her generously and started down the hall, followed by James.

Lily placed her hand on the knob, and looked back up at the pair of boys to find James glancing back at her intensely over his shoulder. They're eyes met momentarily, green on hazel, before Lily quickly looked away and pushed the door open.

Pushed the door open to absolute chaos. Lily's room was covered with an assortment of colors or clothes from what she noticed. Clothes were strewn along the floor, both the beds and literally any flat horizontal surface. Amongst the chaos, a girl emerged. She had black hair and was pretty in a wild way. She smiled sheepishly at Lily, "Sorry about the mess. I was looking for my earphones. Happened to have put it at the bottom of my case accidentally."

She kicked a pair of jeans under a bed and made her way to Lily, "I'm Josephine Vhon. Fashion designing."

Lily accepted the hand Josephine offered and smiled, "Lily Evans. Pre-Law."

The next morning Lily and Josephine were scrambling to get brushed and dressed in time for class. Josephine was quirky and laidback girl and shared most of Lily's interest. They both got on to a great start and to Lily it felt as though she had known Josephine forever rather than the ten hours she actually did. Amidst all the getting to know each other and unpacking, they had forgot to set an alarm. They were now paying the price.

Josephine head down to her class quickly while Lily was left to find her way to her class on her own. She was already late and hadn't been looking where she was going when she collided into a strong body and lost her balance. A pair of strong, muscular arms caught hold her waist. Lily yelped in surprise and looked up to her savior, to find herself looking at the deliciously hazel eyes of James Potter.

They stood like that for tad longer than necessarily, staring at each other rather intensely. Lily blushed and tried to pull back from James' grasp. James studied her face for a moment longer before letting go her slowly. He brushed the front of his surely expensive shirt before glaring at Lily.

"Look where you're going, Evans. You could've gotten hurt." He glanced down her body, looking for any injury, "Are you usually so clumsy?"

Lily gaped at James, "I'm sorry. No need to be so rude about it." James rolled his eyes, something he did quite often Lily presumed, and opened his mouth with a retort, only to interrupted by Severus running towards them and checking to see if Lily was alright. Apparently he had witnessed the whole thing. Lily scowled, she wasn't made of glass.

After fussing over Lily, Severus glanced at James, who was staring at the hand Severus had on Lily's arm with a blank expression.

"Careful, Potter. Just because you're famous doesn't mean you get luxury of not watching your step."

James' gaze snapped to meet Snape's cold one. Lily noticed his fists clench tightly at his side. He raised a lazy eyebrow at Snape, "Didn't think this was any of your business, Snape."

"It wasn't his fault, Sev." Lily quickly intervened, "I was in a bit of a rush."

Severus glanced at Lily before scowling at James. "Come on, Lily." He turned on his heel and began to stalk away when he noticed Lily wasn't following him.

Lily smiled sheepishly at Snape, "I have classes, Sev." Severus stared blankly at Lily, a flash of hurt on his face.

"Of course." He said, his tone carefully kept neutral. He turned away without another word. Lily glanced uncertainly at James before she remembered something.

"You're doing Pre-Law as well, right?" Sirius had mentioned something in the train.

James nodded in affirmation. Lily sighed in relief, "You have Mcgonagall now?"

"As it happens to be, yes."

Lily glanced shyly at James, "You wouldn't mind showing me the way, would you?"

James sneered at Lily, "Why didn't you ask your boyfriend to do so?" He turned around and made his down the corridor and Lily had to break in a slow jog to keep up with his long strides.

"Severus isn't my boyfriend."

James looked at Lily through the corners of his eyes amused, "Well, he obviously would like to be."

Lily glared at James furiously, "You have no idea what your talking about." James hummed, unconvinced. Lily huffed, irritated. They made their way to the class and Lily glanced at her watch before James and she opened the door and cursed under her breath. She was fifteen minutes late.

Professor Mcgonagall glanced severely at the pair when the entered her class. She took in Lily's slightly disheveled state from her fall and her eyes darted to James, who didn't seemed to be the least bothered by being late for their first class.

"And what have we been upto, Miss.."

"Evans." Lily gulped nervously.

"Miss. Evans?" Professor Mcgonagall waited expectantly for her excuse.

"I.. um.. I tripped." Lily could feel herself going scarlet. "I tripped and fell."

Professor Mcgonagall looked between Lily and James unimpressed, "And I'm sure Mr. Potter caught and swept you off your feet."

Lily heard a few chuckles from the class, and she had to restrain herself from placing her face in her hands in embarrassment. When the Professor put it like that, it sounded a lot less.. innocent, for lack of better word.

The Professor turned her attention to James and glanced at him disapprovingly, "Already begun your conquests, Mr. Potter?" Lily thought she heard disappointment and slight exasperation in Mcgonagall's voice.

James shrugged and shoved his hands in his pockets, "It's really not what you think, Minnie." Lily glanced curiously between James and Mcgonagall, as they seemed to exchange a silent conversation. Lily realized that the two likely knew each other beforehand, especially with the way James addressed her.

"I'm sure." Mcgonagall replied. Lily had no idea if she believed James' words or not. She really hoped she did. Mcgonagall proceeded to point them to their seats, "I do not condone lateness among my students. Especially on the first day."

"Meet me during my lunch break, Miss. Evans and Mr. Potter."


	3. Hello Hogwarts

There weren't many seats left in the class. Predictably enough, Sirius had saved him a seat. Fortunately or unfortunately, James really couldn't tell yet, the only other seat available was beside the said saved seat. He took his place next to Sirius and tried not to visibly stiffen as Lily sat beside him. He tried his best to pay attention to Professor McGonagall. Lily's presence right next to him, with her strawberry scented perfume, was just too distracting. He's known Lily for little over a day, and for some bizarre reason, she was driving him crazy.

He shifted his book to Sirius and wrote on the corner of the opened page. Wanna switch places? His best friend looked up at him questioningly. James just added another question mark. He didn't feel like explaining himself at the moment. He needed to concentrate during classes. He knew that Minnie was secretly fond of him, but she didn't let her personal feelings ever interfere with her job. James had a habit of being at the top of everything he did. He wouldn't let some infuriating girl get in the way of his academics.

Sirius agreed to switch places, he didn't question James any further but he did look at funnily. The two tried to change their seats as discretely as possible. Minnie did notice but decided not to comment on it. She settled with fixing them both with an unimpressed look. Lily glanced at the two. She almost seemed hurt by James' aloof behaviour.

Remus looked up at him from his place beside Sirius's former and now James' seat. The latter just shrugged at him, neglecting to offer any sort of explanation for his strange behaviour. He took the opportunity of Lily's absence at his side to finally get some work done. He began taking down notes. Well, he tried.

James began regretting his decision to switch with Sirius within the first five minutes of doing so. Sirius took the opportunity of Lily's presence at his side to shamelessly flirt with her. He was scribbling on the side of his textbook and showcasing them to Lily, who was having a very hard time controlling her laughter. There were tears at the corners of her eyes as she tried to suppress the outburst of giggles that were a result of whatever Sirius was doing. James clenched his teeth in irritation.

"James, you're going to snap that pencil into two," Remus informed as he glanced at James through the corners of his eyes. James glanced down at his hand, and sure enough, he was gripping the pencil rather harshly. He relinquished his hold over his pencil and flexed his fingers.

James heard a giggle from Lily and he settled to clenching his fists to stop himself from hitting Sirius over his head. Remus raised an eyebrow at him curiously. James tried to ignore his and Sirius' antics. Peter, perhaps sensing the tension, glanced at them from his place beside Remus. "Is there something wrong?"

Sometimes James desperately wished his friends would just mind their own business. "No, Peter." He gritted out through his teeth. When the bell finally rang, James gave his thanks to any god that would hear him. He pushed past Sirius and Lily and exited the class. Remus and Peter were behind him trying to catch up.

* * *

Lily was glad when her lunch break came. Luckily enough, she and Josephine shared the same time. They made their way through the lunch counters of the cafeteria and piling their plates with food. One good thing about Hogwarts University was that the food was impeccable. With so many rich snobs attending, it wasn't that much of a surprise. But, it was most advantageous to scholarship students such as Lily.

In Hogwarts, the cafeteria was arranged such that there were four long tables. One for the members of each of the residential buildings. Joe and Lily made there was to the Gryffindor table, taking a seat in the middle. Lily began telling Joe about her eventful morning. She told her of her late arrival to class and her seating arrangement beside Sirius. That interested Joe. She neglected to mention that James had ever so kindly made sure of it. What was with that guy anyway? He kept running away from her like she carried the plague or something.

"You're sitting beside Sirius?" She asked curiously, "Damn, girl. You're lucky."

Lily shrugged, "It's not that special of an experience."

Joe laughed incredulously at Lily's obliviousness, "Lils, there are those who would kill to be in such proximity with Sirius Black. His family is filthy rich and there is simply no denying that he is incredibly hot too."

Lily glanced at Joe for a moment, "You seem oddly fond of him." She tried not to sound suspicious.

Joe shrugged, "We've known each other forever. Almost as long as I've known James."

Lily was going to ask Joe how exactly she knew James Potter so well when someone slipped into the seat beside her. She started in surprise when she noticed it was Sirius, with his lunch tray. He pushed his lustrous long black hair out of his face and bestowed a dazzling smile at Lily.

"Lily, love, fancy seeing you here." He took Lily's hand and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. She couldn't help but blush furiously. She wondered if she was having to have to get used to this particular form of greeting with Sirius. Beside her, Joe rolled her eyes at him.

"Sirius?" She scoffed, "I'm sure you memorized Lily's timetable."

Sirius turned to Joe, "I would never stoop to something so low. This was fate. Destiny." He grinned mischievously at Lily's friend, "You're just jealous I'm not destined for you. Fate has deprived you of someone as amazing as myself."

"I shall thank Fate for blessing me so."

Sirius threw a hand on his heart in mock hurt, "You wound me, Joe. You always do."

Joe smiled at Sirius sourly before turning to her lunch. Lily followed suit, but Sirius seemed to have decided to find out how much laughter would have her snorting her food out of her nose. He spent the entire meal-offering commentary on almost everything. From the food to Joe's fashion choices.

In a fit of laughter, Lily wondered where Sirius' companions were. Namely, James. She glanced down the long table for them. She found James glancing at them with a strange expression on his face, and Remus and Peter watching him worriedly. She looked away quickly after their eyes met briefly.

A few moments later, James Potter materialized before her and her lunch companions. He pointedly did not look in Sirius' direction, nodded in acknowledgement to Joe and turned to Lily. "We have to meet Professor McGonagall."

Lily started at the reminder. She quickly got up, rushing to pick up her tray and bidding goodbye to Sirius and Joe. She disposed of the tray and wiped her hands on the sides of her jeans. She made her way to exit, where James was waiting for her.

"You want to come with me?" He asked awkwardly, "To see Minnie?"

Lily supposed she did not want to meet the stern Professor on her own. She nodded, and they began walking. On the way, Lily tried desperately to tamp down the fear that she was feeling. She was in trouble on her first day. She knew that her position in Hogwarts wasn't the most secure. The scholarship could be revoked whenever the school wished. She was on the verge of going into a panic attack when James interrupted her train of thought.

"You're nervous, aren't you?" He seemed almost amused.

Lily stared at him. "No, I'm not. I was late for my first class at Hogwarts. The teacher of said class believes I was late because I was snogging you in some corridor. She's asked to meet us and it's not like my scholarship is on the line. So, no. I'm not nervous." The sarcasm dripped from her voice.

James looked away, but not before Lily caught sight of a hint of a smile. He looked nice when he smiled, Lily decided. She wondered why he didn't smile more often.

"You don't need to worry about Minnie. She is hardly that bad. She can be, but she rarely is."

Lily tried to find some comfort in James' words, but Lily was an innate worrier. So it didn't exactly help. When they reached Mcgonagall's office, they were welcomed with the surprise of Professor Dumbledore, the headmaster of the institution, opening the door. He smiled kindly at them as he let them inside. McGonagall was going through some files at her desk within. She glanced at them.

"Ah. Mr. Potter. Miss. Evans. I'm afraid I'm preoccupied at the moment. I will deal with the two of you at a later time."

Lily felt the tension leave her body at the statement. Later meant that their offence wasn't that serious. James nodded in understanding, and the two of them began to back out of that office when Dumbledore stopped them.

"I wonder what the two of you must have done to warrant a lunch break with Minerva." His eyes were twinkling with amusement as he regarded the two. Lily blushed and James even looked slightly uncomfortable.

Great. Lily thought sardonically. Now the headmaster thinks we're shagging.

Dumbledore tilted his head to address James, "How is the business going, James?"

James answered, and the headmaster and he dissolved into a conversation. It was clear that everyone here knew James. Most of them respected him. Even teachers like McGonagall and Dumbledore. He was the most curious type of person Lily had ever met. McGonagall looked meaningfully at Lily as he tilted her head in James' direction as if she read Lily's thoughts.

Dumbledore turned his attention to Lily, "Miss. Lily Evans, I remember seeing your application." Lily's eyes widened in shock as she realized Dumbledore had seen her application. "It was most impressive. I look forward to seeing your academic career progress."

"Thank you. Sir." She managed to get out before James and she exited the office. They closed the door behind them and stood awkwardly before it. Uncertain of what to say, James ran a hand through his hair and said, "So, I'll see you around." He didn't even wait for her reply before he turned on his heel and made his way across the corridor. Lily stared at the man, unsure what to make of him.

At times, he was cold and aloof. But, everyone seemed to have a dazzling opinion about him.

James Potter was simply proving to be an enigma to her.


	4. Trying And Tryouts

**CHAPTER 4: TRYING AND TRYOUTS**

As the days went by, Lily found herself sinking into a certain rhythm which she went by every day. She found she was rather comfortable with it. For all it was worth, Hogwarts was not an easy university to get used to. The campus was huge, and Lily might have got lost and was late for class a couple of times. Thankfully, not for Professor McGonagall's class. She did want her House head thinking that she spent every spare minute making out with James or any boy whatsoever.  


On the other hand, as Snape had warned, she did face some prejudice from the other students since she was a scholarship student. Those pretentious pests weren't the most kind. Though Lily was perfectly capable of defending herself, Joe's presence by her side did deter them most of the time.

None dared to cross her roommate. Lily quickly learned that there were certain dynamics present in the upper society that she had joined. Joe was the sole heir to the Vhon estate and the high-profile political career that her father carried out. It was only after a few days of bonding that Joe admitted that she was majoring in Political Science as well. Her family was one of the richest in the country, and most of that wealth was old money. They were rivalled by few, the Potters and Malfoys included.  
In a way it made sense why, which Lily thought was rather disturbing, no one wanted to get on her bad side. It was not just Joe. Few dared to anger James and the members of the Black family.

Lily didn't need anyone's help, but she was glad that she was friends with Joe.

Her very day started with her best friend belting out the lyrics to either Taylor Swift or Selena Gomez (Joe had threatened to punch anyone in the face if they dared to speak against the two artists. Had Lily mentioned that Joe was a champion in fencing and karate?). Her mornings usually consisted of rushing to the cafeteria for breakfast and somehow getting to class, where she was ended up being adopted by James, Sirius and their friends. She had often had lunch with Joe (and an uninvited Sirius). She spent the evenings in the library with Sev.

Joe wasn't the only friend she made. She befriended the sporty Marlene Mckinnon and the bookish Dorcas Meadows who were on her floor. Much to her delight, she made friends with her dreamy senior, Frank Longbottom. Sirius inserted himself into Lily's life, regardless of her own opinion. Sirius Black sat with her in class and happened to have lunch with her and Joe (for whom Black had a crush on, one that she was pretty sure was returned). It didn't take long for her to befriend Remus Lupin, who had an eye for everything. Remus shared many of her interests. She even befriended Peter, whose shyness only endeared him to her.

As for their famous black-haired friend, she wasn't so sure if she would call them friends. James struck her as aloof and indifferent. Though he sat near her during most classes, he never made an effort to make conversation with her. Where Sirius was, you could find Potter, but he was just there. Silent and brooding.

Not that Lily was complaining. It was easier to eye his incredibly good looks when he was staring vacantly into the distance. But apparently, he wasn't normally like this. At least, according to Joe, who had grown up with him. Their parents had been busy and friends, and thus, they had sought comfort in each other's company.

She enjoyed ogling Potter, but it did bother her sometimes. With the way, he sometimes refused to acknowledge her presence. She wondered if Potter was just like the rest of pretentious brats.

Sev insisted that he was. Her childhood friend had spent most of his time with her warning her off Potter. Honestly, she had no idea what he had against the guy.

She had decided to push the enigma that James Potter was, to the back of her mind. That particular decision didn't work out very well. Two weeks into the class, tryouts for the House football teams were announced. Each resident building represented a House, for which they competed against each other for the year. The competition was taken very seriously in Hogwarts - by both students and teachers.

Lily had elected to watch the tryouts with Joe, Remus and Peter. Unsurprisingly, Sirius and James were trying out.

The morning of the tryouts, the football stadium was packed with students - female students - likely eager to catch a glimpse of James Potter. Lily judged that James was far from the only mouth-watering male who was on the field that day. Sirius was running laps around the field, benevolently waving at the squealing female population. Frank Longbottom was just as glorious.

"That's Kingsley. He's this year's captain." Joe pointed to a tall man with dark skin. Was extremely good looking a pre-requisite for the Gryffindor football team?

"He's been captain since his sophomore year." Remus added, following their line of sight, "He's one mean player." Lily nodded, as her eyes watched Kingsley as he blew his whistle, demanding the attention of the hopefuls and silence fell among the spectators. She spied Professor McGonagall watching from the commentator's box.

They couldn't hear what was being said to the men, but they carefully observed as the tryouts began. Lily wished she had cherished the silence that Kingsley had temporarily brought. Once, the hopefuls began running around the field and as they progressively became drenched in sweat, the shouts and squealing intensified.

It got worse once it was James' turn.

"What's with all the fuss for Potter?" She spoke over the noise.

Joe and Remus shared a glance before the latter answered, "'Cause he's James Potter."

Lily's eyes didn't stray from James as he invaded the defenders on the field. He was good at the sport from what Lily could discern. Very good at it. "And that's supposed to mean anything?"

Joe snorted as she shook her head, "Anything? It means everything." Her eyes followed Lily's. Potter was nearing the goalpost.

"You may think my family is filthy rich. It is, but the Potters are even more filthy rich. His parents had trouble conceiving him, and he was born in their old age. He's heir to the Potter Co., and his mom is super influential in the Parliament. She's a well-loved MP, an ally of my father." James kicked the ball at the net, and it swiftly made its way past the goalie. The stadium erupted into deafening cheers.

"It's not just the family money,"

"Though it does have a lot to do with it," Remus interjected as he clapped his hands at James' goal.

Joe nodded and continued, "There's no denying he's hot." She pointed to James' glorious abs that he had put on display after he ripped his shirt off after his feat. Lily gulped as she tried not to stare. Joe was right there was simply no denying. She had trouble following what Joe was saying next with her attention focused somewhere else. "James was named Sexiest Teen of the Year. He's done his fair share of modelling. He's smart, down-to-earth, and honestly, a good person."

Joe caught Lily's ogling and smirked at her, "Tell me, Lils, isn't that enough?" Lily quickly averted her eyes, turning them to the bright sky. Though she didn't see the blue sky or the clouds that littered it. The image of James Potter's naked torso was seared in her brain.

Remus answered for her, "Plenty."

* * *

They decided to spend the rest of the evening in the Gryffindor common room, they were seated at one of the studying tables. James at across him, while Peter and Sirius sat beside him. The latter two were too busy playing Mini Militia on their phones, and James was drinking tea. Remus had caught on to the habit of his friend's. The two of them started having tea in the evening.

When Remus thought about it, it sounded rather pretentious. Honestly though, who cared?

Usually, he and James joined Sirius and Peter in Mini Militia, but Remus had some writing to do, while James was spending his precious time staring at something over Remus' shoulder.

After about fifteen minutes, Remus decided to find out what was up with his friend. He looked over his shoulder to find Lily playing chess with Marlene as Joe was scribbling furiously on some notepad. He looked back at James and back again, he narrowed his eyes as he released James was watching Lily, who was grinning with glee as she took out Marlene's rook.

As far as Remus was aware, James had not been exactly close to Lily, unlike the rest of them.

He turned to James, his eyebrows buried beneath his sandy brown curls. "Whatcha looking at James?"

James broke out of his reverie, running his hand through his curls before shooting a startled grin at Remus, "Nothing, just thinking."

Remus hummed unconvincingly, "About Lily?"

James, who had been sipping his hot tea, choked on the beverage. Sirius looked up from his game and starting hitting James' on the back. A lot harder than necessary from the way James was wincing.

"I'm fine, Sirius." James shrugged Sirius' hand off his back as he coughed, "I'm fine."

Sirius smiled innocently at the pair of them as he exited his mobile game and turned to the pair of them. Peter followed his lead. "What's up with Jamsie?"  
Remus rolled his eyes at Sirius' nosy nature, "He's been staring at Evans for an amount of time that exceeds innocent."

Sirius glanced at James in question, "Evans?"

James was turning red, "I wasn't." He insisted.  
Remus studied James, wondering why he was lying? James Potter did not ever make an effort to hide his conquests among the female population.

"She and Vhon were talking about you during tryouts."

James bit the inside of his cheek and looked as though he wanted to ask something very badly, debating with himself if he should.

"Did Vhon happen to mention moi?" Sirius interrupted. Remus shook his head, not taking his eyes off James. Sirius sank back into his chair, pouting at the answer. Remus didn't understand why Sirius didn't just ask Joe out. He was almost sure Joe would say yes.

"What did Evans say?" James blurted out, focusing his gaze on the lights on the ceiling, careful to appear disinterested. Remus knew better than to fall for that. Sirius was carefully observing their conversation, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration. He too, likely interested in finding out why James was so interested in Lily.

Remus shrugged in response, "She couldn't get many words out with her mind too preoccupied with your very shirtless self."

Remus swore he saw a smile flash on James' face. It was gone as quickly as it came. He wasn't the only one who noticed.

"What was that?" Sirius asked suspiciously.

James carefully arranged his face into one that appeared bored, "What was what?"

Sirius' lips stretched into a wide grin, sharing a glance with Remus. It did not go unnoticed. James shook his head, "It's not what you think."

Sirius feigned innocence, "Jamsie, do tell. What am I thinking?"

James opened his mouth and closed it. "I.." He looked like a deer caught in headlights. Remus did not get the chance to prod even more as Joe came over to them, plopping herself on the seat next to James. Sirius sat up, brushing his hairout of his eyes.

"To what do we owe the pleasure, Vhon?"

"Fuck off, Black." She shot at him, though through a poorly concealed grin.

"Keep breaking my heart, Vhon." Sirius exclaimed dramatically, his hand covering his chest, "It's all yours." Joe rolled her eyes at him as she turned to James.

She slapped his shoulder. "What is up with you?" She questioned, exasperated.

"Ow." James rubbed his shoulder, mock glaring at Joe. "What was that for?"

Joe pushed her dark curls out of the way of her sight and sighed, "You're acting weird."

"I have no idea what you're talking about." James replied, "I'm not acting weird. Right, Sirius?"

Sirius glanced at James sheepishly, "Sorry, mate. You have."

Joe flashed a smile at Sirius for which he answered in full force. "You're not being you. You're so quiet these days." She ran a hand through his hair, "Where's the James Potter I know and love?"

James opened his mouth to protest, but likely thought better when he caught sight of Joe's glare. He sighed, running his hand tiredly through his messy hair.

"Riddle has been giving dad some trouble lately. It's just..." Silence fell upon them for a few moments.

Joe sighed, "It's not just your dad. Riddle and his cohorts have been after mine."

Sirius slapped his hand on the table, "Don't let that bastard let you down, Potter." Remus glanced at Sirius' expression. Furious and forbidding. Remus often forgot all of Sirius's dark family history.

"I know. I know. But it's been taking a toll on my parents."

Joe rubbed James' shoulder, trying to comfort him. "James. Riddle isn't anywhere near where he wants to be."

They didn't say anything for a while.

"You know what? You guys are right." James finally said, breaking the silence. "I'm haven't been me."

He downed the rest of his tea as though it were shot of tequila, "Let's not deprive Hogwarts of James Potter."


End file.
